Dramatically located on a granite outcrop, the majestic city of Toledo lies 40 miles south of Madrid and is the capital of Castile-La Mancha. Toledo rose to prominence in the Middle Ages under the Islamic caliphate. Surrounded on three sides by the Tagus River, it contains a wealth of historic sites, including the Alcázar (fortress) and the 13th-century cathedral (the primate church of Spain). Toledo was home to the painter El Greco for the latter part of his life and is the subject of some of his most famous paintings. It was also renowned for the manufacture of armor and swords, which were used to such lethal effect by the conquistadors in the New World. Philip II moved the royal court from Toledo to Madrid in 1561. 

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